Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Pegi Young Goes On Tour with Bert Jansch

Pegi Young

Pegi Young will begin her tour with Bert Jansch tomorrow. Pegi's band includes Anthony Crawford on guitars and harmony vocals, Ben Keith on pedal steel, dobro and Hammond B3, Rick Rosas on bass, Phil Jones on drums with Spooner Oldham playing keyboards.

Pegi's new album Foul Deeds -- she says laughingly -- "is full of dark themes... divorce, debauchery, disillusionment and despair. So the title 'Foul Deeds' summed it up". The CD includes tracks such as "Pleasing to Me," "Broken Vows," Lucinda Williams' "Side of the Road" and Devendra Banhart's "Body Breaks".

Q: You’ve been witness to and participated in so many important recordings in the past few decades, both as a creator and an observer. You’ve worked with, or been in close quarters with, several of the more influential artists and musicians I can think of. From the position of trying to make good music or good art, is there anything you have learned or observed that seems to work across most all situations?

PEGI: Be true. Just stay true. That’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten from Neil, in particular, but many others around me as well. All the wonderful musicians I’ve gotten to work with. Anthony and I were just taking a walk here the other day, and I was nervous ’cause we hadn’t done a show and he said, “We’re going out there to groove, not prove.” But, for real, you know, don’t try to fake it — just follow your muse. Just follow where your artistry takes you. And don’t try to be “something” cause — I mean well look at American Idol; there’s some talented people in there, but there’s a lot of people who I think are just trying so hard to get something and they don’t even know what it is.

From CD review of Pegi Young: Foul Deeds on Jambands.com by Brian Robbins:

Ben Keith’s relationship with the Young family goes all the way back to the Harvest sessions when (as a member of Neil’s Stray Gators) he helped define and sculpt that album’s sound with his beautiful pedal steel work. On Foul Deeds, Keith’s contributions are just right: tasty touches of steel here (the Memphis-flavored “Pleasing To Me” and a lovely waltz with Pegi’s vocals on “Broken Vows”); Saturday-night dobro there (“Who Knew” and “Starting Over”); and a bit of B3 organ as needed. Other players on Foul Deeds include six-string vet Anthony Crawford, bassist Rick Rosas, drummers Phil Jones and Karl Himmel – and a Wurlitzer cameo by Spooner Oldham.

When the legendary Scottish-born folk singer-songwriter and guitarist Bert Jansch got a call asking if he was interested in opening for a legend known as Neil Young on his solo “Twisted Road Tour” beginning this week, it came “out of the blue.”

He had met Young two years ago at an event, where Young unexpectedly brought him out to play, “which was a bit of a shock.” Now, there was the invitation. “Do you fancy doing it? ” Jansch’s manager asked.

The answer was emphatic. All of the above are good things to have happen to Jansch, who over a long and varied career may best be known as a co-founder of the folk-based group Pentangle.

At 66, Jansch still relishes the prospect of performing. “It’s the only thing I know how to do,” he said.

It all started through Devendra [Banhart]. I was over doing a few shows in 2006. Devendra asked me if I would play on a few gigs he had lined up, which also included The Bridge School Benefit. That’s how I met all of Devendra’s retinue and everything. [laughs] We did some great shows. And then we went off to do The Bridge School and I was part of Devendra’s band at the time. Neil actually surprised me by asking me to play a number with him. He said it was derivative of me. When we did it, it was the first number of the day. I had five minutes to learn it.

What song was it?

“Ambulance Blues.” He said it was derivative of me, but I don’t think it’s got anything at all to do with it. It’s a very different song. Anyway, that’s how we got involved.

How has your presence on the tour—and style of playing—affected Neil?

Well, the show he’s playing at the moment is fantastic. Although—as much musicians are—he doesn’t always come off the stage thinking, “Oh, that was wonderful.” But the actual music that I hear is incredible. And it’s all just him. He starts acoustically and goes through quite a few old numbers and then he picks up electric and when he does it certainly explodes. It’s more that he’s influencing me than the other way around.

Bert and Pegi are coming to Portland the day after tomorrow. I understand Neils' "Be the Rain" thing but it has been raining in Portland since...last year. We all wanna BE THE SUN for the rest of the year!The forecast for the day after tomorrow is supposed to be WARM and SUNNY!Just like Pegi and Bert! :>)It'll be a groove....

"Both Pegi Young and Bert Jansch will resume opening the remaining shows on Neil Young's Twisted Road tour next month — including a return date in Seattle — following a round of headlining club dates on the west coast."

"Behind every great guy there's a great gal."I don't know who said that but it's more than true when it comes to Neil Young.I attended the Bert Jansch/Pegi Young Band show on June 12. The venue holds less than 200 and we had seats up front. I think the smaller the venue the better for two artists' like these. And without elaborating, all I'm going to say here is that Pegi's set was a heck of a lot of FUN! The crowd was movin' and groovin'!Bert Jansch is a whole different trip. Same crowd, totally different reaction. We were sitting no more than ten feet from the stage and we were fixated, for lack of a better term. Compared to Pegi's set that had folks whistling and yahooing, the crowd settled in to hear every nuance and follow every tuning and capo setting of the guitar (he changed it every song). At one point, he said, "You're very quiet." Nobody said nothin'. Like I said, we were enamored with his...playing and presence.So, it was like two completely different shows in one. But both having one common thread and that is being associated with Neil. It blows my mind some people think there is something wrong with that.